By Any Other Name
by talder
Summary: Red is tired of just sitting on his mountain. So, he's going to go adventuring again with some new friends as well as new dangers. Follows the Anime storyline, with some deviation here and there.
1. Prologue: New Beginings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, so any recognisable characters are not mine.**

 **Prologue: New Beginings**

Waiting. Always waiting. Waiting on a strong trainer to climb to the top of the stupid mountain to give him a short, probably boring battle. All around him, the peak of Mt. Silver was covered in snow, a seemingly flat field of white broken only by him and his Pikachu who was training nearby. His other Pokémon taking a break inside their Pokéballs around their trainer's waist, waiting for their turn to train, or battle patiently.

How long had he been up here? Five years? Maybe even six? He didn't know for certain, only that in the last few months he had been challenged once by the new Johto champion, and they had been surprised to see him. He thought back to the old days, when he first climbed the mountain and had a new challenger every few days. Now, he was just that legendary trainer, the 'Ghost of Mt. Silver', a myth that only a handful believed existed.

Sighing, he turned his head and pushed his cap up so he could watch his Pikachu lashing out with immensely strong lightning attacks on nearby rocks. As he watched, he thought about why he was still up on the mountain. He could easily become a Gym Leader if he wished, but then he would make an impossible Gym, he was sure. What else could he do?

 _I could always go on a new adventure._ He thought. _Take up a new name and no one would realise. I'm sure a lot has changed while I've been up here._

With that thought in mind, he called his Pikachu back over through the bond they shared. Thanks to helping Blaine and Mewtwo several years ago, Mewtwo had created a mental bond between him and the Pokémon he possessed at the time.

 _"Alright Pika, we're going on an adventure again. Sort of."_ He said, realising that he should probably get new Pokémon so he didn't just destroy every trainer he met with his unstoppable team.

 _"When you say sort of…"_ Pika asked curiously.

 _"Well, I don't want to use you guys and smash everyone when I'm pretending to be a newish trainer."_ He replied, thinking of what his first Pokémon would be this time.

 _"OK, that's a fair point."_ Pika agreed. _"Hey Red, if you need a new 'starter' why not go talk to Professor Oak? Ask for a starter if he doesn't recognise you, and explain your idea if he does."_

Red thought about Pika's suggestion and agreed to it, before calling out his Charizard and flying towards Pallet Town.

When he arrived, Red took the opportunity to get rid of his old clothes that he had been wearing for years and put on a relatively fresh set from his back pack, before recalling both Scorch and Pika and putting his entire teams Pokéballs in his backpack.

 _I should probably find somewhere to let them roam free while I'm not using them._ He thought, only to have a voice answer in his head: _Taken care of._

Deciding to investigate what that meant later, Red walked into town, heading for Professor Oak's lab. He felt strange walking through his hometown and seeing just how much had changed, the town being larger than before. He caught a glimpse of his reflection for the first time in years, and decided he looked the part he was playing with his hat and bag, the blue cargo pants and red T-shirt just finishing the effects along with his black gloves.

As he finally reached the lab, he heard a new Pokémon trainer, supposedly called Gary Oak, giving a speech to an adoring fan group about being the next champion, before walking into the lab to get a Pokémon. Sighing, Red followed him in, pushing through the crowd and looking around the familiar lab. Spotting the Oak's over by a trio of Pokéballs, Red walked over.

"And this one is Charmander, the fire lizard. She'll be a bit of a handful, at least at first, but will grow into a powerhouse later on." Professor Oak was telling Gary.

Gary was glancing between them all before reaching down for one. "Squirtle, I choose you!" He yelled, letting the turtle Pokémon out to meet its new trainer.

Nodding Oak turned towards Red, studying him for a moment. "Hmm, I don't think I've seen you before. What's your name, and are you here for your first Pokémon or something else?" Oak asked.

Probably much too late, Red realised that he probably shouldn't use his actual name unless he wanted to let the Professor know who he was. As he was thinking of the Charmander he was about to adopt, and the images of fire that popped into his head, his reply was not a name even he would normally have thought of.

"My name's Ash." He replied, swiftly thinking up a last name if he needed it too. "I'm here to start my Pokémon journey. I thought this was where I could get a Pokémon."

"Ah, another new trainer. Just let me finish with Gary and I'll sort you out in a moment." Professor Oak replied obviously delighted to hear another new trainer was starting their journey here.

Red watched as Gary was given a handful of Pokéballs to start with, along with a Pokédex and a number of potions. Soon after that, Gary left, barely even glancing at the other trainer as he did.

"Now, your choices are either Charmander, the fire lizard," Oak gestured to one Pokéball, "Or Bulbasaur, the bulb Pokémon." As he gestured to the second Pokéball.

Red nodded before picking up Charmander's Pokéball. "I'll take Charmander."

Oak nodded before handing a few Pokéballs to Red as well as a Pokédex. "Using these Pokéballs, you will be able to add new Pokémon to your team. This Pokédex will allow you to record the data on any Pokémon you encounter, check moves, locations and countless other useful things." Oak said. "Normally, I would only give these out to trainers I'm certain will use it properly, and I get the feeling that you would be one of those trainers. Now, that Charmander is supposed to be, well, different in some sort of way. It was looked after by a college of mine who sent it to me late last night and I haven't let it out of its Pokéball yet, so be prepared. Well, good luck on your journey Ash!"

Red thanked the Professor before leaving. While he wasn't expecting the gift of a Pokédex, it did solve the problem of his old one suddenly being in use again and alerting Professor Oak to his status as 'Alive and adventuring' when he needed to check new Pokémon.

Now he was starting again, as a different person no less. The Pokémon world would have to deal with a Pokémon trainer that had conquered the Elite Four and Team Rocket before the Indigo League system was changed slightly.

Red shook his head; at least it would be easier to battle the Elite Four this time around.


	2. Chapter 1:Water Master in Training

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any recognisable characters.**

 **Chapter 1: Water Master in Training**

Having checked his old team to see what the voice had meant, and being told that they had a pasture type thing to run around in together until he called for them, Red decided he should probably check out his Charmander and start training it for Pewter City.

With that in mind, Red grabbed Charmander's Pokéball from his belt and let her out. While Professor Oak had told him his Charmander would be different, Red had assumed that it from a personality standpoint. Instead, he had a rather special 'shiny' Charmander, and instead of the normal golden colour that a shiny Charmander usually was, his was instead a very rich crimson in colour.

"Hello?" Red asked. "I'm R- Ash, and I'm going to be your trainer. I think I'll call you Blaze, how does that sound?"

Blaze looked at Red, before nodding her head in agreement for her new name.

"Alright, now I may sound pretty strict, but I want to start training pretty, much now." Red said sheepishly. "You already seem pretty awesome, but Pewter City Gym is rock type, so you're going to need a few tricks ready to win."

For a few hours, Red put Blaze through her paces, seeing just how strong she was, and trying to teach her **Metal Claw** for the Gym fight. When Red let her stop to sleep for the night, Blaze practically collapsed onto the ground in their campsite, before curling up and going to sleep. Chuckling, Red lay down next to her to enjoy the warmth from her tail before falling asleep too.

The next morning saw a very sore Blaze going through a much kinder series of training exercises as they slowly made their way towards Viridian City, typically Red calling out random targets for Blaze to launch **Embers** at. Shortly before midday, Red saw a Rattata in an all-out fight with a pair of Pidgey, and it was an even fight. Determined that this Rattata would do well in his team, Red's next target for Blaze was one of the Pidgey.

"Alright Blaze, hit that Pidgey with **Ember**!"

The Pidgey had no time to react before the fire attack slammed into it, driving it away with singed wing tips. Almost immediately, the Rattata bit down hard on the other Pidgey's wing, earning a squawk of pain and a wing bashed into its face as the Pidgey fled. Noticing Red walking over with a Pokéball in hand, the Rattata turned to sprint of into the grass, only to have its legs collapse out from underneath it.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to be friends. If you let me catch you, I can get you to a Pokémon centre and make you all better." Red said, putting the Pokéball down next to the Rattata. While he could easily just throw the Pokéball at it and catch it that way, he really did want to make some new friends, and it would be easier to work with the Rattata if it let itself be caught.

Realising that Red didn't want to hurt it, only help, the Rattata turned and stretched out to activate the Pokéball, disappearing inside to be captured.

"Alright, welcome to the family Remy." Red said later when he let Remy back out. "As soon as we get to a Pokémon Centre, you'll be good as new."

Remy squeaked happily, before hiding under Red as the shadows of a Spearow flock passed by. _Wow, I really don't want to tick those guys off. Blaze is good to fight, but I doubt she could take on so many right now._ With that in mind, Red returned Remy to his Pokéball and set off of Viridian City.

Before long, Red and Blaze crossed a bridge, and Red spotted a familiar face on the bank of the river. _Well, Misty must finally be doing her best to become a Water Pokémon Master. Hope she's going well._

Red considered simply ignoring her and heading off to Viridian City, only to have Misty wave him over. Frowning, Red trudged over to the water trainer.

"Hey, what kind of Pokémon you hoping to catch here?" Red asked, hoping that she would ask him to join her, thus giving him some company, or ask for a battle, probably beat him, and let him go on his way.

"My names Misty and I'm hoping to catch a Goldeen here. What about you?" Misty asked, carefully testing her fishing line for a catch.

"I'm Ash, and I'm heading to Viridian City before I head to Pewter City and challenge the Gym. This is day two of my adventuring." Red replied, making sure to use the right name, and hoping that she wouldn't think him worth a fight.

"Well Ash, you don't mind if I come with you for a while? I haven't even seen any water Pokémon here and it's so boring traveling alone." Misty asked, reeling in her line and putting the rod away.

"Sure, just look out for Blaze here shooting **Ember** at things. I've got an unusual way of training." Red replied, happy to have an old friend as company, even if they didn't realise it was him.

Turning around, Red set off in the direction of Viridian City, alternating between calling out targeted **Embers** from Blaze, to attempted Metal Claws on nearby trees. He had to try quite hard to suppress his laughter at Misty's face then first few times Blaze sent a torrent of fire at one of Red's chosen targets, Blaze's **Ember** attack already beginning to resemble a weaker **Flamethrower** attack. Having seen, and trained Scorch to use **Metal** **Claw** , Red was slowly making progress in teaching the attack to Blaze, slowed only because Blaze hadn't seen the attack herself.

A short hour later and Red found himself looking onto Viridian City from up close for the first time in years. Both he and Misty made straight for the Pokémon centre, Misty quickly putting her team in to be healed. Once the machine had done its thing a few seconds later and Misty clipped her Pokéballs to her belt, Red put both Blaze and Remy in as well. He was amazed at how quickly his Pokémon were healed and returned to him, back when he had started his journey it usually took a whole day and maybe the night for a Pokémon to fully recover.

Nodding his thanks and ensuring that he had a room for the night, Red went back out into the town and headed straight for the Pokémart. Buying another handful of Pokéballs and a fair few potions of varying strengths, revives and status healing items, Red felt set to journey off towards Pewter City in the morning.

Red ran into Misty outside the Pokécentre as he tried to find a good area to train for the next few hours.

"What are you looking for?" Misty asked a few minutes later, having followed him around during his search.

"Looking for somewhere to train for a while where I can't burn anything down." Red replied, spotting an ideal area. "Over there, no buildings, a few targets and I can get Remy running through the rocks for surprise attacks."

"Why are you going through all of this?" Misty asked. "You only have to show to Brock that you deserve the Boulder badge during the tournament in his Gym, unlike a few others. You only have to fight Brock if you win the tournament."

"Really? I thought you had to fight all the Gym Leaders?" Red asked surprised. "Doesn't matter anyway, I'm going to win the tournament and take Brock down as well."

"Fine. I think Brock's next tournament is in a weeks' time. You have plenty of time to prepare in Pewter too." Misty said, before walking off towards the Pokécentre. "I'm going to make a call, enjoy your training!"

Tossing out his two Pokémon, Red set them to varying tasks for the next few hours before it got too dark to continue. Blaze and Remy both ran from one end of the clearing to the other, dodging through rocks for a while before Red set Blaze to **Metal** **Claw** again, and Remy to **Iron** **Tail**. He was pleasantly surprised to see Remy learn the move in a matter of minutes, probably having seen it a few times.

"Alright Blaze, I've got an idea. Remy, show off **Iron** **Tail** a few times then you can go practice **Bite**. Blaze, watch carefully." Red said, letting Blaze get a good look at Remy's attack. "Alright, now you're going to learn that first, and once you know how it works, try the same tactic for learning **Metal** **Claw**."

Blaze was quick to learn **Iron** **Tail** , Red giving advice and Remy's examples speeding along the process significantly. Adapting it into **Metal** **Claw** took over an hour after that, during which time Remy managed to bite a chunk off his target rock, to the surprise of himself and Red.

"Alright guys, let's call it a night. I'll work out what other attacks you can learn before we fight the Gym on the way to Pewter. Blaze, keep working on your **Ember** during the trip tomorrow, just don't burn everything down, ok? Remy, speed is going to be key for you." Red finally let his Pokémon stop their training, returning them to their Pokéballs after his quick planning brief.

Returning to the Pokécentre, Red asked the nurse there to heal his Pokémon again from their training session before going up into his room for the night. Letting both Remy and Blaze out of their Pokéballs so they could have a comfortable sleep, Red lay down on the bed, rolled over and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

Red was woken up the next morning by Blaze poking his side in what he guessed was panic. Opening his eyes and throwing his clothes on, Red could hear the end of some kind of …poem?

"…the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Mewoth! That's right!"

Returning his Pokémon and keeping Blaze's Pokéball in his hand, Red sprinted down the stairs to the main lobby of the Pokécentre to see an interesting sight. If Team Rocket was here, then they were in for a big surprise.

"Now hand over all your Pokémon!" The male, Red assumed was James, shouted at the handful of trainers in the lobby.

"Nope. Here we go Blaze." Red said calmly, tossing Blaze's Pokéball towards Team Rocket, catching it when it did its mid-air return. "Now, I believe you were leaving?"

"Never! Ekans, we've got a twerp to squash!" Jessie shouted, tossing out her own Pokémon.

"Too right Jessie. Koffing, help out!" James threw out his own Pokémon alongside Jessie's.

"Damn, that's a pretty interesting Charmander you got there!" The Mewoth exclaimed. "Shame we're going take it to the boss."

"Good luck with that." Red replied. "Blaze, hit that Koffing with **Ember** , then **Metal** **Claw** on the Ekans!"

Blaze suddenly sent out a deadly stream of fire into the gas cloud that was Koffing, before spinning around and sprinting forwards at the Ekans, the tips of her claws beginning to glow.

"Not so fast, Ekans get out of the way and use **Constrict**!" Jessie shouted desperately.

"Come on Koffing, you're tougher than that! Get in there and use **Smog**!" James called out to his Koffing.

Red was definitely surprised to see the Koffing still able to fight, albeit barley and the Ekans were in for a surprise. Waiting for the Ekans to slink back towards Blaze to do its attack Red acted before either of his opponents had a chance to react, Koffing still trying to get back into the fight for its **Smog** attack.

"Blaze, **Iron** **Tail**! Hit the Ekans into the Koffing!"

Blaze acted instantly, Red's sudden commands on the road helping hone her reactions. Spinning and letting her tail channel energy for her attack right before the Ekans could do it's, she got a direct hit on a very surprised snake.

"Awesome, now hit both of them with **Ember**!" Red shouted, going in for the final blow.

Neither human member of Team Rocket could react, only just realising that they would be hit too, before Blaze's surprisingly powerful fire attack slammed into them, their Pokémon, and Mewoth who was standing between them.

"Looks like Team Rockets blasting off again!" Was all Red heard Jessie, James and Mewoth shouting in response to his attack, though he hadn't expected them to suddenly shoot off into the air.

 _Maybe it's some form of emergency escape that Team Rocket uses._ He mused, before turning to Blaze.

"Awesome job girl, do you need to be healed up before we head out?" Red asked, slowly taking in the blackened floor by the entrance of the Pokécentre that Blaze's attack had created, happy with the result.

Blaze shook her head, before turning to look at the stairs alongside Red to see a very tired looking Misty yawning on her way down the stairs.

"Where was the bomb, and who was shouting about flying?" She asked.

Red couldn't contain his laughter as the other trainers and the nurse explained that he'd fought Team Rocket, and that the two events where Blaze and Team Rocket.

"All right, I'm good to go. How about you Ash?" Misty asked taking in the devastation Blaze had caused.

"I'm ready." Red replied, offering money to the nurse behind the counter. "For what my Pokémon and I did."

"No need." The nurse chuckled. "We're insured, and all you did was deal with Team Rocket. "

Red nodded in understanding before turning to follow Misty towards Viridian Forest. 

"Have I mentioned I hate bug Pokémon?" Misty all but screamed to a highly amused Red as she sprinted away from a group of curious Caterpie.

They had been walking through the dense shrub of Viridian Forest for a number of hours, and Red was still struggling not to laugh at Misty's reactions every time she thought she sensed a bug Pokémon. He hadn't told her that her screams were probably drawing in even more from deeper in the forest because she always turned to Blaze and asked her to use **Ember** on whatever spooked her at the time.

Despite having a very loud, screaming friend, Red had enjoyed the trip through Viridian Forest. He had recognised the area he'd saved Yellow all those years ago, and where he'd helped her catch her first Pokémon.

"Are you from Pallet Town trainer?" A male voice called from behind Red.

Turning around, Red could make out what looked like Samurai armour peering out from behind a nearby bush.

'Yes I am." Red replied, wondering why he would be asked such a thing.

"Excellent! You see, I have fought and defeated the other two trainers from Pallet Town to pass through here. And I am determined to fight the third, namely you!" The Samurai declared, leaping out from behind the bush, weaving a sword in a haphazard fashion.

"Sure, two on two." Red agreed, already thinking to give Blaze a proper test, those Team Rocket grunts hadn't put up much of a fight.

"If the madam who is accompanying you would be so kind as to referee this match?" The Samurai clad trainer asked. "We must make this a fair fight."

Misty, after checking extensively for anymore bug Pokémon, agreed.

"Ok, but I'm doing the whole official thing ok?" Misty received a nod from each of them. "Ok this will be a two on two battle between Ash of Pallet Town and … Samurai of Viridian Forest. Trainers, choose your Pokémon."

"Let's do this Blaze!" "Pinsar, crush them!"

Red was more than happy to see his opponent using a bug type against Blaze, having type advantage would be a massive bonus if the Pinsar was any better than Blaze.

"Start out strong, **Ember**!" Red shouted, waiting on his opponent's reaction to find the best strategy.

"Pinsar, dodge it, and then hit it with **Body Slam**!"

" **Iron Tail** , hit it to the side! Then **Ember**!" Red quickly set Blaze up for a quick win.

The Samurai trainer barely opened his mouth to alter his Pokémon's actions when Blaze hit Pinsar with the combo attack, knocking it out almost instantly.

"Pinsar is unable to battle, Blaze is the winner! Challenger, choose your next Pokémon." Misty was a little wide eyed at just how strong Blaze was.

"Hmm, it appears you are much stronger than the others. You have trained already for Pewter City?" The Samurai trainer asked as he returned his Pinsar.

"Yeah, got to start early, else I'll have to play catch up later." Red replied, pulling out Remy's Pokéball. "Alright Blaze, good job. Let's let Remy have a go."

"Metapod!"

Red didn't act immediately after both Remy and the Metapod appeared to fight, wondering exactly what his opponents' strategy would be here. His thoughts were answered almost immediately.

"Metapod, use **Harden**! Can't hurt something as tough as a rock." The Samurai trainer said smugly, his Metapod having a momentary silver sheen.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Red replied, a grin creeping onto his face. "Remy, use **Bite**!"

The Samurai scoffed, only to wince as Remy dashed forward and sunk his teeth into the Metapod, causing it to wince and wriggle around.

"Once more!" Red shouted.

Remy bit down on the Metapod again, this time resulting in a knock out.

"Metapod is unable to battle, Remy wins! This battle goes to Ash from Pallet Town!" Misty announced.

"I'm sorry for my overconfidence my friend." The Samurai said sadly to his Metapod as he returned it. He looked over to Red. "It seems that your Charmander isn't the only one prepared for Pewter City Gym."

"That's for certain." Red replied. "You did awesome Remy, rest up for a bit."

"Well, it seems I have challenged this year's Pallet Town trainers. You are the only one to best me, but I hope to correct that should we meet again atop the Indigo Plateau!" The Samurai announced fiercely.

"I look forward to it." Red agreed. "I'll have to train hard, 'cause I know you're going to be. I hope to see you in the finals."

Finishing up their goodbyes, Red and Misty continued on their trek through Viridian Forest. Within an hour, they were cresting a hill overlooking Pewter City.

 _Here we are._ Red thought. _Pewter City, the first real challenge._

In the distance, Red could see a limo leaving the town in the direction of Mt. Moon.

I guess Gary used some of his gramps influence to have a straight up challenge with Brock.

"Welcome to the Pewter City Pokémon centre, how can I help?" Asked a very familiar nurse when they made their way into the city.

"Nurse Joy," Misty said. "Umm, could you heal our Pokémon? We would also like a pair of rooms until the next Gym tournament. Thanks."

"Very well, I'll take your Pokémon and get the keys for you. The next tournament is in two days. I'd suggest going to register soon." Nurse Joy replied.

Red nodded, he'd get a good night's sleep, and then register in the morning before training.


	3. Chapter 2: Brock the Breeder

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any recognisable characters.**

 **Chapter 2: Brock the Breeder**

One of the first things Red found on his way to the Gym in the morning was a small stand that apparently sold rocks and various objects as souvenirs for trainers. Deciding to investigate further in hopes of a possible rare stone, he headed over.

"Hello, my names Flint, can I interest you in anything here?" The salesman asked.

"Yes actually, do you have any rare stones or stones that affect Pokémon? Also, what is this pouch thing?" Red asked, a pouch made of shifting fabric catching his eye.

"I'm afraid that I don't have any of those kind of stones for sale. The pouch however, is called a Chameleon pouch." Flint replied. "It's designed to blend into a wearer's skin to be almost undetectable. Most people who own them tend to put their most valuable or priceless possessions inside them. It's not cheap."

Red thought it over. Somewhere to store his old Pokédex, and his old Pokéballs would defiantly fit in there as the shrunk much smaller than the new gen Pokéballs. He would also be able to put his money in there, along with whatever else he found that needed to be hidden.

"Just give it here and I'll pay for it." Red replied, stretching out a hand with his credit card in it.

Flint raised an eyebrow, but ran the card and handed over the pouch a second later. "I hope it serves you well."

Nodding his thanks, Red quickly put it on, and was delighted to see how, unless you knew exactly where and what to look for it, it was almost completely invisible. Waiting til he was out of sight, Red transferred all his old gear that might alert someone to him being Red.

That done, Red made his way over to the Gym and signed up for the tournament.

"Okay dude, the entirety of the tournament, plus the fight against Brock should you win, is all two on twos. So if you've only got one, get another and get training." The man who registered him said, before calling forward the next in the small line.

Red made his way back down towards Viridian Forest, quickly selecting a secluded area on the open section between Viridian Forest and Pewter City. For the rest of the day, minus a trip to the Pokécentre after Remy accidently got between Blaze and her target, Red managed to train one more attack for Blaze as a last resort and knew that most trainers would have a little bit of difficulty tracking Remy as he sprinted across the arena during a battle.

Meeting up with Misty for dinner before going off to bed, Misty commented on the skill of the trainers she had seen around Pewter during the day, and on Red's chances for the tournament.

"I don't doubt you have a strong pair of Pokémon, but they have to fight through three rounds without getting healed before you earn the right to challenge Brock. And several of the trainers I saw today have Pokémon that are capable of taking lots of hits."

"Ok, they can take a lot of damage, but they probably can't put out anywhere near as much as they can take." Red reasoned, as few trainers who trained their Pokémon in such a way had too much time to train in attack damage as well.

Misty looked at him sceptically. "I'll wish you luck, you will need it."

That night, Red though back to his first attempt at this Gym. _Poor Poli and Saur, couldn't heal them before the tournament and it was them and Pika. They got through without taking a hit, and then Brock was surprised to see a practically wild Pikachu thrown in against him and Pika won. Let's see, how close I can get to repeating that first string of victories…_

The next morning saw Red up nice and early in preparation for the Gym tournament. He was going to win, and he was going to do it well. Making his way over to the Gym, Red saw several trainers dashing about, muttering strategies under their breath as they waited out the last few minutes before the battles would be announced.

Red had been in the Gym mere minutes when the battle schedule was announced, with the promise that at the end of each round the next set of battles would be announced. Learning that he wouldn't be fighting for a short time yet, Red sat up in the stands and studied each and every trainer that he saw fight, coming up with strategies he would use against the winners. It wasn't long before he found himself the centre of attention.

"This will be a two on two battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Tommy of Pewter City. Trainers, there will be no substitutes unless your Pokémon is unable to battle. Let me remind you now that you will not be able to heal if victorious until you are eliminated or are preparing to challenge Brock." The referee went through the basic rules, before "Choose your Pokémon!"

"Let's do this Rattata!" "Take 'em down Blaze!"

Red could tell that the Rattata was nowhere near as well trained as Blaze or Remy, and decided to let Tommy make the first move.

"Alright Rattata, get in close and hit it with **Bite**!"

"Counter with **Ember**!" Red gave the Rattata a few seconds to close the gap so it couldn't react in time to the sudden onset of flames from Blaze. Squinting Through the haze the flames made, he could see the Rattata was passed out on the ground from the single attack.

"Rattata is unable to battle, Blaze is the winner!" The referee announced. "Tommy, choose your next Pokémon!"

Red could see Tommy smirking slightly as he sent out his next Pokémon.

"Alright, this is all yours Poliwhirl!"

Red didn't want the water type a chance to land a hit of Blaze, instantly ordering another **Ember** to cover a **Metal Claw** that was his follow up. The **Ember** was counted by **Water Gun** , but Tommy was shocked to see Blaze slamming her shining claws into Poliwhirl's chest, resulting in a second knockout.

"Poliwhirl is unable to battle, Blaze is the winner! Ash will be advancing into the next round."

Red nodded his head to Tommy for the battle before taking up a seat in the stands awaiting his next battle. He didn't have to wait too long, a few ties and winners withdrawing due to severely injured Pokémon saw the second round reduced from the initial eight it should have had to four, of which Red had the first battle.

"This will be a two on two battle between John of Viridian City and Ash of Pallet Town! Trainers, there will be no substitutes unless your Pokémon is unable to battle. Choose your first Pokémon!"

"Blaze!" "Geodude!"

Red tossed Blaze back into the fray in the hope of keeping Remy fresh for the last fight, and to keep his last opponent guessing on his second Pokémon if possible. Definitely glad to have trained both his Pokémon to deal with rock types, Red was more than prepared for whatever his opponent could throw at him.

"Geodude, **Mud-Slap**!" John called out, causing a millisecond of panic for Red, not having expected the attack.

" **Ember**!" Was the ultimate solution, vaporising the attack and turning the rough edges of the Geodude a cherry red as the attack washed over it as well.

Over the other side of the field, John growled before commanding his Geodude to: "Get in close and hit it with **Rock Smash**!"

"Blaze, dive left and spin an **Iron Tail** into it!" Red called out a moment later, watching Blaze barely avoid Geodude's attack before finishing what she started with **Ember** , knocking the Geodude out.

"Geodude is unable to battle, Blaze wins!" The ref announced. "John, please select your next Pokémon."

"Alright, you're up Butterfree!" John didn't look happy at the thought of giving Blaze the type advantage.

"Keep using **Ember**! It's probably fast enough to dodge it, so spray it everywhere near it!" Red told Blaze, hoping that a single good hit would bring the Butterfree down.

"Dodge it and hit it with **Swift**!" John called out, falling into Red's trap.

Blaze's first **Ember** flew straight past the Butterfree, as did the second, allowing Butterfree to get **Swift** off that impacted on Blaze for a decent amount of damage. The third stream of fire however, slammed into the Butterfree while it was unleashing it's **Swift** , knocking it down to be finished off by the fourth, much more focused attack.

"Butterfree is unable to battle, Blaze wins! Ash will be moving onto the finals." The ref announced as Red took his place in the stands to watch the other trainers duke it out.

 _Hmm, so a Diglett against an Oddish, neither is really worrying type wise for Blaze or Remy._ Red thought, watching the Diglett get beaten into submission via **Razor Leaf**. _Ok, a Paras, still not a big issue._ The Paras quickly finished off the Oddish, only for a Ponyta to come out against it. _No big deal for Blaze there, or Remy really._ Red thought as the Ponyta smashed the Paras with a pair of attacks.

"Paras is unable to battle, Ponyta wins! Tricky is the winner. Would Ash please make his way into the arena."

Heading down, Red decided to let Remy have a go, a fresh Pokémon up against a tired one was better that two tired ones duking it out.

"Due to injuries suffered to Tricky's Pokémon in the last round, this will be a one on one battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Tricky of Viridian City. Trainers, choose your Pokémon!"

"Ponyta, just one more to go!" "Here we go Remy!"

Knowing that Remy had to get close, and that his opponent would likely keep Ponyta back using fire attacks, Red knew he had to get Remy in close and fast.

"Alright Remy, **Agility** into **Iron Tail**!" Red called out.

"Ponyta jump back and hit it with **Double Kick**!" Tricky responded.

Red scowled, knowing that that would do plenty of damage to Remy. "Screw the **Iron Tail** , second **Agility** to dodge, then **Bite**!"

Somehow, Remy got past the Ponyta's flailing hooves and bit down hard on the Pokémon's knee.

"Ponyta!" Tricky cried out, obviously concerned for his Pokémon.

"Remy, end this with **Iron Tail**." Red said, wanting to let the Ponyta get to the Pokécentre before its knee was unable to be healed.

A quick dash and a tail to the head later and Ponyta went down, instantly being returned as Tricky raced off for the Pokécentre.

"Ponyta is unable to battle, Remy wins! Ash will be advancing to challenge Brock in twenty minutes. Go heal your Pokémon." The ref announced, turning to leave for his short break.

Red quickly made his way back to the Pokécentre and put Blaze and Remy in for healing.

"You hurt Ponyta pretty badly." Came Tricky's voice from behind Red as he put his Pokéballs back on his belt.

"I didn't mean for Remy to do that much damage. " Red admitted. "And I made sure to end the fight as quick as I could so you could get it here before it got too bad. How long till Ponyta's on its feet?"

"A day, Brock's letting me challenge the Gym after that. Apparently I impressed him." Tricky said bitterly.

"You'll do well. Who knows, we might end up facing each other again in the Indigo Plateau tournament." Red replied.

"I hope so." Was all Tricky said as he left to be with his Pokémon.

Red was stopped on his way back to the Gym by Flint.

"Lost yet?" Flint asked.

"Nope, I'm up against Brock in five minutes." Red replied. "So I kinda gotta go."

Red quickly ducked into the Gym, noticing Flint walk in behind him and move to sit in the stand as Red made his way to the challenges side of the arena.

"This will be a two on two battle between the challenger Ash from Pallet Town and the Gym Leader Brock. The Gym leader cannot substitute, while the challenger can make unlimited substitutions. Brock, your first Pokémon?"

"Geodude." Brock's first Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, fixing Red with an evil glare that didn't upset him in the slightest.

"Challenger, your first Pokémon?"

"Blaze, it's time to fight." Blaze meet Geodude's glare with one of her own as she waited for the battle to begin.

"The challenger has the first move. Begin!"

"Alright Blaze, let's do this fast with your newest move: **Earthquake**!" Blaze's hard work and dedication over the last day was worth it, if only for the look on Brock's face when he realised that Red wasn't kidding.

"Geodude, use **Defence Curl** and try to wait it out!" If that was Brock's choice, he was either underestimating Blaze, or simply hoping Geodude could hold on for a counter attack. Red was fairly certain it was the later.

As Blaze's foot came slamming into the ground, the floor of the arena began cracking up, leaving deep furrows all across the field. Unfortunately for Brock, Geodude wasn't able to stand the attack and went down immediately.

"Geodude is unable to battle, Blaze wins. Brock, choose your next Pokémon."

"Good job Geodude, now Onix, it's your turn!" Brock shouted.

"Blaze, you did well. Remy, time for you to shine." Red swapped his Pokémon out, the field set perfectly for Remy to get close to the larger Pokémon unseen.

" **Rock** **Throw**!" Brock shouted immediately.

"Into the cracks! Keep using **Agility** until you can hit it with **Iron Tail**." Red was fairly confidant of his plan. Brock could defiantly counter it, but not in time to stop Remy landing a good hit or two.

Onix's attack slammed into the crack Remy had just disappeared into, and Remy popped out close to Onix, slamming an **Iron Tail** into it before Brock could call a counter move. Playing smart, Remy dashed backing to cracks as another rock crashed into the area he'd just been in.

"Once more! Then **Bite**!" Red called out, seeing just how much damage the first attack had done.

"Onix, use **Tail Whip** to sweep it out of the air!"

"Jump on Onix!"

Remy responded quickly, managing to get a foothold on the rock Pokémon from which to launch his finisher combo.

"Onix is unable to battle, Remy wins! Brock has been defeated by the challenger Ash!" The referee announced.

"You fought well Ash, I haven't met many trainers that think to use those kind of strategies for a number of years. I hope you go far. I present to you the Boulder Badge as confirmation that you have indeed beaten my Gym." Brock said. "I hope you can achieve your dream."

"Thanks." Red replied, going to leave before turning back. "I heard somewhere that you wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder. Is that true?"

"It is." Brock replied. "But my father left me in charge of the Gym years ago and hasn't returned to take over the Gym again. I can't just leave it unattended."

"Don't worry about the Gym, chase your dream." Flint said, walking out of the stand.

"Dad?" Brock looked just as stunned as Red was at the revelation that his dad had finally come back. "I won't disappoint, I'll be the best darn breeder the world has ever seen."

"Good. Go, explore, learn, make some new friends." Flint said before turning to Red as his son ran off. "Brock hasn't been exploring for a long time. Would it be too much to ask if he could go with you for a while at least Ash?"

"Sure, I'll meet him by the road to Mt. Moon as soon as he can then." Red replied. Not only did he have another, albeit temporary, traveling companion, it was another old friend. Speaking of which, where was Misty? He was pretty sure she had said something about sleeping without worrying about bug attacks, but it was nearly two o'clock.

Heading back to the Pokémon centre to heal his pals up, Red ran into Misty as she came down from her room, ready for adventuring again.

"Ah, Brock beat your Pokémon senseless, or didn't you get that far?" Misty teased. "I'm heading for Vermilion City, if you're staying here; you're on your own."

Smiling, Red merely waved the Boulder Badge at her.

"Also, Brock will be joining us for a while at least. His dad took over the Gym and asked me to keep Brock company for a little while." Red replied, struggling not to laugh at the look of shock that passed over Misty's face at the news.

"Well, guess we'd better go wait for him then shouldn't we?" Misty asked as she walked out of the Pokécentre.

Red followed her towards the road out of Pewter City. They didn't have to wait long before Brock showed up, a surprisingly small backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Hey Ash, my dad told me that you'd agreed to travel with me for a while." Brock said as he walked up. "Misty? Nice to see you again, are you travelling with Ash here?"

"I finally got to follow my dreams to be a Water Pokémon master and I ran into Ash near Pallet Town and decided to have some form of company for my travels." Misty replied.

"Well, onwards to Mt. Moon I guess." Red cut in, turning and leading the way out of town.

Red quickly discovered where the majority of the training for the Pewter Gym took place, as there were dozens of trainers pitted against each other or practicing by themselves. The whole area was covered in some form of destruction from cut down trees to ripped up ground from varying Pokémon attacks. Misty looked at the area in shock.

"This is how hard they train for your Gym?" Misty asked.

"Yep." Brock nodded. "It's mostly because these guys run into people who trained to take on Mt. Silver and the trainer at the top. Having so many strong trainers, they have to be ready for them, not to mention many start really early and I ended up battling trainers like Ash here every few weeks. My Pokémon grew stronger as a result and everyone who hopes to battle me has to train their Pokémon so much more at the start."

Red looked back at all the battles being fought by trainers and their Pokémon. This was all because a handful of trainers lost to him, spread the news of a powerful trainer and started several intense training sessions to try and beat him.

"Wow, it's amazing what that story has changed. I'd hate to be Team Rocket at this point; almost every trainer has a really good chance of smashing them." Misty replied.

"Well, let's get started on our trip to Cerulean City shall we?" Red asked, barley taking a step forward before being challenged to a battle.


	4. Chapter 3: Mt Moon Madness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any recognisable characters.**

 **Chapter 3: Mt Moon Madness**

Red eventually managed to arrive outside the entrance to Mt. Moon, taking advantage of the Pokécentre outside to heal his team from the few dozen fights he'd been challenged to in the past few hours. He'd swiftly taken down the challengers, though some had landed hits on both of his Pokémon.

"You actually are good then." Misty said as they prepared to plunge into the dark depths of the caves that riddled Mt. Moon.

"I'd hope so, I did beat Brock." Red replied. "Now, you aren't scared of the dark like bug Pokémon are you?"

Seeing the look Misty gave him, Red chuckled before calmly walking into the mountain.

Almost immediately, Red noticed a man in a lab coat being swarmed by Zubats. Rushing towards him, he pulled Blaze's Pokéball from his waist.

"Go Blaze, light em up with **Ember**!"

Blaze appeared in a flash of light before being hidden by a ball of fire that forced the Zubats to retreat deeper into the cave.

"Thanks for the help. I'm afraid most of the Pokémon in here have gone crazy over a series of lights some idiot has installed." The man Red had saved was slowly getting to his feet as he thanked Red. "You wouldn't mind helping me check something would you?"

"Sure, what are we checking?" Red was more than willing to go deeper into the cave and explore, though Misty's sigh as she heard his answer probably meant that she wasn't.

"The Moon Stone. It's a large meteorite that landed here centuries ago, if not longer. The Pokémon here seem to pray to it, and the fragments of the stone itself seem to empower them. I'm worried that someone may be trying to steal it. I'm Seymour by the way."

"Let's get to it then. I'm Ash, this is Misty and that's Brock." Red quickly introduced his friends and followed Seymour as they delved into the dark inside of the mountain.

They had only been walking a matter of minutes before a trio of familiar voices rang out.

"Hold it right there! This area is currently under use by Team Rocket! Back off or be forced back!"

Seymour looked ready to charge in head first swinging his fists, but Red stepped in first, Blaze beside him.

"Now, you lot know what happened in Viridian City Pokécentre last time we met right?" If the answering silence (barring Brock asking Misty for details) was anything to go by, then they did. "Now, do you want me to repeat that, or will you just leave before I force you to?"

Red was preparing himself after his ultimatum when he got the response he was expecting:

"Koffing! Use **Sludge Bomb**!" "Ekans, use **Lear**!"

"Blaze, use **Ember** in an arc in front of you."

Blaze's brilliant flames blinded just about everybody and the large coverage evaporated the sludge into a fine purple mist that floated back towards Team Rocket. Blinking out a number of spots on his vision, Red could see Team Rocket desperately trying to escape while blinded.

"Blaze, scare em off with another **Ember**."

One impressive fire show later and Team Rocket was nowhere to be seen, though a number of Clafairies took their absence as an opportunity to dash to a large glow in the dark rock.

"The Moon Stone. " Seymour's identification of the stone was followed by a number of theories he had on why it was here, what it was and what it could do. Red chose to tune it all out as he sat and watched a number of the Clafairies rub their heads against the rock and evolve into Clafable.

"We're going to continue on towards Cerulean City Seymour. Would you like to accompany us?" Brock broke Seymour's tirade after the last of the Clafairy had evolved.

"No, I will stay here for a time and study while I can. I'm still not convinced those thieves will simply leave the stone alone either. Go on without me, and if you learn anything relating to the Moon Stone, or you have questions, you can find me in the Pewter City Museum, or perhaps here."

Seymour went to sit closer to the Moon Stone and began recording a number of observations with a recorder. Brock and Misty sighed happily to each other, before gesturing to Red to lead on.

An hour later, the low whispers of the Clafairy and Clafables left behind, Red came across a pair of trainers arguing over a chunk of rock.

"No, I found it and I'm going to keep it." "You wouldn't have come here if not for me! Besides, it belongs in the museum."

Stepping in, Red drew both of their attention immediately, and both sent out their Pokémon.

"Go Zubat!" "Let's go Maril!"

Thankfully, Brock stepped up alongside him before things got out of control, both trainers realizing the Pewter City Gym leader was there.

"Never mind, looks like you win after all. But Brock holds onto the fossil, and he gets to take it to the museum. I'm not going back through this mountain!" The one that had wanted to keep the fossil said.

"Fine, so long as we get credit for actually finding it." His friend replied.

Raising an eyebrow, Brock walked over to them and took the fossil and a piece of paper off them with a nod before gesturing for Misty and Red to follow him onwards.

"What was that about?" Misty asked once they were out of earshot of the trainers.

"Those two found a Pokémon fossil. People find them in the caves on occasion." Brock replied. "Most of them end up in the museum in Pewter City, but they were arguing about whether or not to keep it. They gave it to me knowing that I will take it to the museum."

Both Red and Misty nodded at his brief explanation, before Blaze excitedly gestured towards a dull light.

"I think we're just about out." Brock said smiling. "We'll be in Cerulean City just before nightfall."

"No, you will be. I'm not going in there." Misty replied instantly.

Both Red and Brock turned to her confused, both knew she was the main gym leader of the city, why would she avoid it. Misty's replies to their questioning looks were a number of gestures obviously meant to convey her reasoning to Brock, though Red understood too. It amounted to: 'I won't go back until I'm a Water Pokémon Master.' Red could understand that.

"Ok then." Brock said, having understood as well. "Ash needs to challenge the gym and Cerulean City Gym does straight up trainer battles. We go and get a match scheduled for as soon as possible and meet up with you afterwards?"

Misty nodded her acceptance of Brock's plan while Red put on a face to make it seem he had no idea why this was happening. Stepping out of the cave, Red found himself facing Gary, who took the opportunity to challenge him to a battle.

"He, been waiting on you since I got the Cascade Badge. Gramps reckons you're going to be good. I'd say otherwise." Sneering, Gary continued. "So, I'm going to prove it. You and me, a 3v3 Pokémon battle, right here and now. What do you say?"

"Sure, but I've only got two Pokémon with me." Red replied, walking for the closest flat bit of land.

"Too bad then, two Pokémon each then. Prepare to lose!" Gary looked offended that Red only had two Pokémon.

"This will be a two versus two Pokémon battle between Gary Oak of Pallet Town, and Ash of Pallet Town." Brock had stepped in as an impromptu referee, surprising Gary with Red's hometown. "Trainers, choose your first Pokémon."

"Let's go Blaze!" "Wartortle, I choose you!"

Red narrowed his eyes. Not only did Gary have a type advantage, he had an evolutionary one as well. He didn't have much time to ponder this thought before Gary began the fight.

"Wartortle, use **Water Gun**!"

"Blaze, dodge it and let of an arc of **Ember**." Red needed to level the playing field in his favour. Blaze was strong and he had plenty of experience as a trainer, but Gary and his Wartortle had a number of advantages.

"What? No straight up attack huh? You really do suck." Gary sneered at Red's choice of move. "Wartortle, another **Water Gun**!"

Red realised what Brock had been talking about back in Pewter City. Most trainers seemed to just order attacks and the odd smart one would setup strategies and use moves to boost their Pokémon's stats. Red still fought in a manner that used everything available.

"Blaze, full power **Ember** , but aim it bellow the water stream."

Gary seemed confused at his choice, before deciding Red was letting him hit his Pokémon. Only to be completely surprised when the superhot fire evaporated the water above it into steam before slamming into Wartortle's legs, doing minor damage and knocking Wartortle over.

"Quickly Blaze, hit him with **Metal Claw** before he can recover."

Gary had no time to issue and other order besides "Get up now!" before Blaze slammed her claws into the defenceless turtle Pokémon and knocked it out in a series of swipes.

"Wartortle is unable to battle, Blaze is the winner. Gary, choose your next Pokémon." Brock seemed to be sizing Red and his Pokémon up again while they waited on Gary.

"Alright, try this on for size! Go Pidgeotto!"

Red quickly sized up the new Pokémon, trying to see if he should swap out to Remy, but was interrupted by Gary's order for a **Quick Attack**.

"Blaze, step back and **Iron Tail** your front right!" Knowing most Pokémon, unless specifically trained, attacked a Pokémon's right side with **Quick Attacks** made defending against them slightly easier. Luck seemed to be with Red as Blaze's tail connected with the Pidgeotto just before its attack would have landed. "Finish it with **Ember**."

Seeing his Pokémon get knocked to the floor and flamed into unconsciousness, Gary stomped over to Red as Brock announced the winner redundantly.

"You cheated."

Red raised an eyebrow. "How exactly did I cheat? I fought you fairly and you lost."

"No, you did something during that second **Water Gun** to disrupt it, and you called out exactly where to attack when Pidgeotto used **Quick Attack**. I call that cheating." Gary was fuming at this point, getting up in Red's face.

"Water evaporates under extreme heat. Without the heat being rapidly cooled down through direct contact with the water, the flames heated it up from bellow." Red simply stood there, arms crossed and staring Gary down as he explained the fight. "Next, I know that most Pokémon aim to hit a **Quick Attack** on the right side of their opponents body. I told Blaze to strike where I anticipated Pidgeotto's attack coming from. No cheating involved. Just study, experience and some creativity. Good day."

Turning his back to Gary, Red calmly walked off in the direction of Cerulean City leaving a shocked Brock and Misty as well as a fuming Gary behind. Red easily tuned out the abuse Gary started hurling at him after hearing that he would be back to try again

Good, let him train and try again. If he thought a little it would have been a much better fight.

Swiftly walking into the Pokécentre and booking a room as well as settling his Pokémon in to be healed, Red asked about gym matches.

"So you want to fight the gym as soon as possible? I can arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning following their show. Whether or not they fight you is their call." Nurse Joy told him, before turning to setup the meeting.

Nodding, Red turned to find Brock entering the Pokécentre without Misty.

"She's camping somewhere nearby." He said as a way of explanation. "How well do you know Professor Oak?"

"Not too well really. I met him for the first time a few days ago when I got Blaze and started my journey." Red replied. _At least this journey…_

"Ah, why don't you give him a call and let him know how you're doing then? Oak is always curious to hear about the exploits of his trainers."

Agreeing to his idea, Red walked over to the computer system and booted up the video conferencing program. Swiftly looking up Professor Oak's contact details, Red started the call.

"Hello? Who is this?" Oak asked when the call connected.

"Hello Professor, its Ash. I thought I would give you a call and give you an update on how I'm doing." Red replied.

"Hmm, your Pokédex seems to have information collected on a number of Pokémon species, but you don't seem to have caught many. Where are you anyway?" Oak was frowning off the side of the screen, probably at Red's Pokédex data.

"Well, I'm in Cerulean City awaiting a chance to challenge the gym. As for why I haven't caught much, I want my Pokémon to be my friends and I've only met a Rattata I named Remy so far." Red replied. "Blaze and I, that's the Charmander you gave me, get on really well. Did you realise that she was a peculiar shiny when you gave her to me?"

Oak's eyes lit up at Red's question. "Congratulations on the friendship and badge win I believe. And no, I didn't realise that she was shiny. Could you elaborate on the peculiar thing though."

"Sure Professor, and thank you. I say peculiar because instead of being golden in pigmentation, she's a dark crimson. Looks awesome by the way." Red couldn't keep a grin off his face as Oak's eyes suddenly widened.

"Would you be able to show her to me?" Oak asked, the excitement audible in his voice.

"I can, give me a second." Red quickly cleared a small area in front of the camera and brought Blaze out of her Pokéball.

"Blaze, I'd like you to meet Professor Oak. He's the guy who gave you to me." Red indicated Oak's image on the screen, causing Blaze to move her head closer.

"Incredible. Your very lucky that I didn't check her before you came else I would have kept her for study for a day or two." Oak remarked.

"Well Professor, it's been nice talking to you, but I need to get some rest. I'll call again when I can to keep you updated, and let you get some more looks at Blaze." Red teased.

"Sounds excellent. Goodnight to you and good luck with the gym battle." Oak quickly signed off, probably heading off to bed himself.

Red had one final surprise waiting for him as he made his way to his room. Sitting in front of his door, staring him down, was a Jolteon. Looking around for a trainer, Red hunkered down beside it.

"Hey there little guy, have you lost your trainer?" Red asked.

The Jolteon looked up at him before suddenly its body began to shift and Red found himself sitting beside an Eevee. One that looked quite smug.

"Is that you Vee?" Red asked, getting a nod in return. "Well, I'm doing my Pokémon journey again, pretending my name is Ash. Would you like to come with me?"

Getting another nod, Red put a Pokéball down in front of Vee.

"Just so you know, I would prefer you to pick and Eeveelution and stick with it so you don't attract attention. Most people believe Red died. I'm travelling with Misty and Brock but they don't know who I am. That OK?"

A final nod and Vee transformed into a Leafeon before capturing itself. Red released Vee, Blaze and Remy in his room and introduced them all before lying down and going to sleep.

The next morning saw Red and his team walking into the Cerulean City Gym a matter of seconds after the morning show was over. Walking into the backrooms to meet up with Misty's older three sisters, Red couldn't help but wonder how Vee had managed to find his way back to Red.

"You're the one who wants to fight us?" One of Misty's sisters said, ripping him from his thoughts. Red recognised her as Violet.

"Yes I did, I need the Cascade badge to appear on the Indigo Plateau, so here I am." Red replied.

"Well, our Pokémon are too tired to fight you, so why don't we just give you the badge?" Lily asked.

"Because the League could investigate and take our right as a gym away! And you can easily go heal up your Pokémon or put off the fight for a couple of hours! You don't just give badges away!" Red wasn't as surprised as the three Sensational Sisters at Misty's sudden appearance and even less so about her shouting. "If none of you will fight him, I'll do it for you. I am part of the gym after all."

"I accept you as stand in for your sisters Misty. Shall we have a battle?" Red struggled to hold in his laughter as Misty scowled at him.

Misty led him out into the main arena where a large crowd was gathering for the fight. Red could see Brock sitting in the stands as he and Misty prepared for the battle.

The referee stepped onto the stage and went through the usual routine:

"This will be a match between Misty, the gym leader of Cerulean City and Ash from Pallet Town. This will be a three versus 3 match with no substitutions. The first trainer to lose all three Pokémon loses. Trainers, choose your first Pokémon."

"Go Goldeen!" "Remy, come on out!'

Both Pokémon appeared on the field, Remy on one of a dozen small floating platforms and Goldeen in the surrounding water.

"Begin!"

"Goldeen, use **Water Gun**!"

"Remy, **Agility** until you have an opening."

Red knew that Remy, with his lack of ranged attack options, wouldn't be a great help in the battle. Nor would Blaze due to her weakness to water attacks. Remy was fighting, knowing he was going down, in order for Red to build a picture of how Misty fought so that Vee could demolish her entire line up.

"Goldeen, **Water Gun** again, led him and nail him!"

Red could see that Misty fought like the majority of trainers did now; simple attacks. She hadn't needed any other form of strategy for some time and she was stuck in her new way.

Remy took the hit full on and was forced into the water where Goldeen finished him off with a **Tackle**.

"Remy is unable to battle, Goldeen wins. Ash, please choose your next Pokémon." The referee swiftly called the first bout, and Misty looked pleased with herself already.

"Tough luck Ash, your Charmander is going to have a tough time here isn't she?" Misty was mocking him, but Red merely smiled.

"Let's show them your strength Vee."

Misty looked shocked at the appearance of a Leafeon on the field, but Red didn't give her too much time to worry as he began launching attacks.

"Vee, **Sword Dance** followed by **Razor Leaf**. Don't give Goldeen a chance to retaliate."

Misty's calls for Goldeen to dodge ended quickly when a number of leaves slammed into the Pokémon's body, causing it to faint.

"Goldeen is unable to battle, Vee wins. Misty, please choose your next Pokémon."

"Staryu, you're up! Hit him with **Swift** before they can respond!"

" **Protect** and follow it up with **Energy Ball**."

Misty's Staryu had its attack bounce of Vee's protective field, and Staryu was staggered by the return attack.

"Finish it off with **Razor Leaf**."

"Back into the water!"

Staryu rolled back into the water with Vee's attack skimming the surface above it.

"Ok Vee, Staryu is pretty weak now. Let's finish it off properly this time with **Magic Leaf**."

Misty was forced to watch the unavoidable attack slam into Staryu, returning him when he floated back to the surface.

"Staryu is unable to battle. Vee wins! Misty, please select your final Pokémon."

"You've done well Ash, but Starmie is my strongest Pokémon."

Starmie had barely even appeared before Red had Vee rushing in with a **Leaf Blade**. While Starmie remained upright and forced Vee back with a **Hydro Pump** , it wouldn't be able to take Red's final attack.

"Vee, put everything you have into **Trump Card**!"

Misty watched as her third Pokémon slumped to the floor with Red being declared the winner.

"Starmie is unable to battle. Vee wins! Ash has defeated Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty and has earned the Cascade Badge!"

"Awesome job Vee!" Red praised his old friend for his hard work before returning him to his Pokéball and walking over to Misty.

"Where the hell did you find a Leafeon after I left you yesterday and you showing up today?" Misty asked exasperatedly.

"This guy?" Red asked, innocently Vee. "I caught him last night before I went to bed. Hell of a chance of finding a wild one so I figured I'd go for him."

"Fine." Misty sighed. "Here's the Cascade Badge to show you beat the Gym. Do we have to stay here for too much longer?"

Red shook his head while accepting the badge. "We can pretty much leave now. I am curious why you came in to the city today, you weren't planning on coming before."

"I'm not telling you. Let's grab Brock and get out of here."

Red nodded and led Misty back to the Pokécentre where they met Brock and healed their Pokémon. Red then followed Misty as she led the way towards Vermillion City and the next Gym.


End file.
